Topic: Unpopular Gaming Opinions

As someone who never plays on easy mode (or hard mode, for that matter, I just stick to the default setting), I completely understand implementing them all. This is an entertainment medium that is vying for consumers' hard-earned cash first and foremost, and I would hate to feel like I just wasted $60 of my precious money by playing a game for 10 minutes and realizing I was never going to get anywhere because it was too hard for my skill level. And I also have no interest in wasting countless hours of my precious time becoming good enough by repeating the same deaths over and over again.

I think an "easy mode" in general is not the magic "make game accessible to as many as possible" button as some people think it is. Especially if its not even done well. Not to mention games are made to be a certain difficulty generally speaking (at least games where an easy mode would even apply), so they'd probably be an objectively worse made version of the thing, which is not what I'd want if I couldn't deal with the normal version.

I mostly feel like various options and cheats are a better and more interesting way to pull it off regardless. I mean, when I couldn't beat certain games growing up, cheats kept me playing (occasionally also files on games owned by someone else that had gotten further than me).

Yeah, this is the thing too. Git gudders seem to think people have just unlimited amounts of time to run into a wall. People have jobs, have kids, have lives, if they only have an hour to sit down and play a game every other day, why would they want to spend that repeating the same section of a game over and over until they pass it? I mean I guess if people find that fun, power to them, but I certainly don't.

But I think the point is that an easy mode doesn't replace what is already there. So someone might find the easy mode rubbish or whatever, but that is fine, they have the choice to go up to a higher difficulty and may enjoy themselves. But if they are allowed the choice to go up, then people should be allowed the choice to go down as well (in hindsight the wording of this is horrible, haha).

Also, you can slow down animations, extend I-Windows, tweak damage numbers and do all sorts of things to make an experience easier without inherently altering the mechanics.

Eh, I just think if a game is meant to be hard, then it doesn't need an easy mode. If people don't want to spend the time to learn the mechanics, then oh well, that game isn't for them. If you find Dark Souls too hard, then just don't play it. If you find Hollow Knight to be too hard, then just don't play it, unless you're actually wanting to learn the mechanics.

Accessibility modes can be good for people who are with disabilities, but I just feel like adding an easy mode in some games will destroy the purpose of their existence.

Also, I get that yes, I don't personally have to play the easy mode, but at times, if it's present, it can be easy for me to fall into the trap of not learning how to play the game, and instead just switching to the mode where enemies barely hit you or do damage to you.

@Pizzamorg I don't mean to start an argument by saying this, so sorry in advance, but from what I've seen from you talking about difficulty in games, it kinda seems like anything remotely the slightest bit difficult makes you upset at a game. Stuff like Pokemon Legends having a difficult Post-Game fight, or bringing up that you're glad that games like Elden Ring are adding easy modes, because games like Darksouls are too hard. It just feels like you're against games that don't present difficulty options and force you to learn how to play said game, or learn how to beat said fight.

@Pizzamorg I just think it kinda boils down to what there targeted audience, Games like dead cells dread and sifu, want to cater to both, so there isn't a particular audience, But games like dead cells doesn't allow you to get the true ending without doing the normal or hard mode, Pretty much meaning they have a targeted audience.

Wile I do think games need to have easy modes. If a dev has a targeted audience, I don't really think its a issue, its how they wanted to make the game, and they have a player base that they want to play the game (Idk if Worded that right LOL).

I just don't really find it a problem, but I do understand it sucks if you like everything else about the game, but the game is hard.

@VoidofLight Kinda like how the SNES and the NES added the rewind mode? idk I just can't help myself with taping that button.

@Snatcher Yeah, like that. If the options there, it's going to tempt some people into using it, despite them ordinarily not wanting to.

And to me, it just feels like you are one step away from gatekeeping media. I think that is real sad.

@VoidofLight I mean yeah, its there how can you not, I thought I was the only one that felt that way about it LOL.

@Pizzamorg Does it count as gatekeeping tho? Its not like its impossible to beat it, its not impossible to view the story if you want.

Imo, hard games can be designed as thoughtfully and carefully as others it just depends on how the person playing it chooses to interact with the game. I think what most people don't realize with Soulsborne, for instance, is that seeking help from others is an element of the game's design and if you can eliminate the scenarios where you would need to ask for help by adjusting the difficulty down then the game changes and becomes something else. That is to say, if you don't like Dark Souls on it's standard difficulty level....you probably wouldn't like it on easy either. That design mentality is integrated into every aspect of the game, not just bosses. You're not told where to go, what you're doing, or even much story. The player has to choose to work for all of that. I-frames mean nothing.

@Pizzamorg It's not really Gatekeeping. It's just saying "Don't play it if you don't like these sorts of games". Different people will like different things, and you clearly don't enjoy games with harder difficulties, or games that even showcase challenge. Instead of expecting challenging games to change for you, or saying they're bad because they're hard, why not just play other games?

Edit: I don't enjoy overly easy games like Kirby, but I don't say "Kirby is bad because it's too easy! It needs a hard mode!". I just don't play Kirby.

I cannot speak for most games beyond Metroid with regard to difficulty settings, but I've found the typical easy and hard mode options a very generic way to re-experience a game. Dread Mode is a more interesting take on providing additional challenge to a second play through if were available. Unfortunately, I found out I would have to beat Hard Mode to play Dread Mode. Completing Dread twice, one run of which I'm not too interested in the difficulty design, to get to a more interesting run condition isn't great. Dread Mode's implementation adds a flaw to the game that didn't need to be there. It should be updated now so that any difficulty can be selected at the start of a new game.

@Snatcher Thank you. Difficulty settings have always been in games throughout the years. On SNES and Game Boy, I remember games like Mortal Kombat had easiest, easy, medium, hard, and very hard. Even Super Mario Land 2 had an easy mode by pressing select at the file select screen.

To me, having difficulty settings and choice isn't anything new, when they are there, it's up to the player to play what they feel comfortable playing at.

This is exactly why I was interested in Splatoon when they revealed the first one on Wii U. It was very different than what shooters were doing for years. This coming from someone who loved playing different shooters throughout the years.

I mean you make a poor assumption here, I am a massive Monster Hunter fan, a series notorious for being a hard franchise. But I do like how you have directed this into an attack at my character, rather than the argument itself, which shows you have no real argument at all to the point I was originally making.

And again, it almost doesn't matter at all, as Git Gudders are losing, as more and more games add in difficulty or accessibility options for their customers.

'if you don't like the difficulty go play something else' is pretty much the very definition.

@Pizzamorg I wasn't even attacking your character. I was making an assumption based on what I've seen you say about harder games, like how you were with the Legends Arceus thread and the one post-game fight.

Also, I don't think "If this game isn't for you, then go play another game" is gatekeeping. It's just telling someone who's expecting the game to change for them personally that it won't, and they're better off not demanding said change to be made. Again, I don't go into Kirby comment threads demanding a hard mode because the game is extremely easy. I just don't play Kirby.

@VoidofLight if they're on their "gatekeeping" kick it's a lost cause.

Btw, since it's kind of relevant how did you find Dark Souls? You tried it awhile back right?

Lucky I don't need to "demand" it, as the change is already coming!

@Sunsy i missed your @ awhile back somehow. Yeah I felt the same about Splatoon on the Wii U. I think if Ninty cant come up with an innovative reason to develop an IP more often than not they won't do it 😕 i'm kind of surprised we didn't get more motion or HD rumble games.

@Sunsy Splatoon And even splatoon has a playload like mode, but even thats very different, as you need to splat the ground to get it to move I think, It just sounds like a really fun time, to bad I was to late and Now I got to wait for three (More like I hate that I want to wait for three)

Sorry if I sound offensive to some people because I'm not trying to. But lets say you buy crash bandicoot 4 right? without any knowing about how hard its going to be, why is it the games fault, I feel like its your job to do you research on a game, that money was only wasted because you just got the game on a wim, idk maybe I'm assuming a lot here, but I never understood it.

One more thing Sunsy. Pretty much what you said, when they have it, they have it, and its up to you to to play what you like, but if it isn't, there isn't much you can do because the dev just didn't feel like thats how they wanted there game to be played.

I really need to play dark souls some day, I will get to it, but I hope people didn't over hype how hard it is, Because that has happen'd to me before.